Against Darkness, So Light May Be
by Melaro16
Summary: A young man, trained in the art of war by a warrior of a bygone era, where men fought not the beasts of Remnant, but for ideals and banner; and when humanity was its own worst enemy. Ryan Cross moves to become something beyond Hunters, to uphold a creed he believes, and a cause he holds above all. He is a Soldier of Ash, and he will suffer darkness, so others may live in the light.


**Disclaimer: All characters, locations, objects, etc. (Including any variations, combinations, or other such modifications) relating to the RWBY intellectual property belong solely to the creator, Monty Oum, and to Rooster Teeth Productions. All similarities regarding real-world individuals, locations, companies, products, nationalities, intellectual or copyright properties, etc. are either entirely coincidental/referential in nature, and are exclusively neutral in promotion. Any original content of my own creation, such as characters, names, designs, created lore and administrations not specifically linked to the RWBY IP, etc. are entirely free of any and all personal ownership, and can be used without restriction by anyone for any form of media. However, as what I believe to be a form of authorial and/or artistic etiquette, I would like to be informed of any use of my ideas from a purely curious and well-meaning standpoint on my behalf.**

_There is a saying that has been uttered by a few notable men, those haughty few who have felt only those trivial spasms of conflict._

"_History is written by the victor." _

_It certainly is a powerful remark, one that truly clasps the grand intricacy that is the chronicled past. And yet so often does it seem to favor reciting its self-given, awe-inspiring glory. _

…_To forgo the unpleasant reality._

_From the sprawling forests of Vale and the ocean cliffs of Mistral, to the towering cities of Atlas and the arid badlands of Vacuo, the story of humanity's rise from the earth has been told in vaunted undertones and bravado-laced glory for centuries, of how man stepped forth to challenge the Grimm, the very forces of death and destruction themselves. And triumphed. _

_Oh, how we triumphed._

_And yet, there is another story that remains untold. An era that history has learned to forget, where no victors or heroes rose to claim their place in the annals of antiquity. _

_The story of a war so violent and earth shattering that it nearly sent the young human race back to its earthen origins._

_From vested dust to charred ash._

_It is in the midst of this chaotic age, this shadow war, that our story takes root; not as an epic filled with the exploits of champions and glory, but a tormenting tale of sacrifice and loss, devastation and ruin…survivors and soldiers._

_Above all, this is the legend of a group of remarkable men, formed from the fires of war, bonded over the greatest of causes, and guided by an unwavering resolve to match the darkness of the world…and win._

_..._

It began with an act of equal parts determination, ingenuity, and desperation.

Centuries ago, humanity faced a merciless, powerful enemy-an enemy that would only be satisfied with our complete, utter extinction…The Grimm.

Born from the darkest nightmares' of Remnant, the Grimm swept across the land like a roaring black wave, butchering every village and settlement that fell under their bloody gaze. Faced with this onslaught, humanity banded together in hopes of presenting a unified front, one capable of stemming the tide of destruction. Battles raged across Remnant as regional communes formed provisional militias, centered on the best-defensible strongholds humanity could muster within such a short time.

But it was not enough. Mile by mile, man by man, the Grimm chipped away at us with a level of ferocity and inhuman savagery that we could never hope to match. Darkness was closing in, and humanity was running out of torches.

And then, they found it. The spark of light that would send the Grimm back to the sinister hell from which they came.

…and nearly set the entire world ablaze with ethereal flame.

On the southern slope of Vytal, dug into the shadows of the Krallen mountain range, humanity had constructed one of its most powerful strongholds, a proverbial line in the sand from which they would no longer give ground to the Grimm. By pushing their backs against the wall, the Militia of Krallen had chosen the conviction of death over the fear of the hunted.

It was beneath this fortress, the _Damnatio Arx_, that humanity discovered it's most powerful weapon, deep within the mountainside-in a cavern lit by an elemental inferno.

Blinding fires and swirling ice flurries surged through the air with surreal grace as eruptions of lightning and wind coursed across a floor of solid onyx, illuminating the room with a hellish cacophony of light and sound. And at the center of the cavern, a throng of crystals composed of the most vibrant hues, all crackling with untamed, primal power.

The first men to lay eyes on it actually believed they'd found the core of the planet, the "Heart of Remnant" that kept the whole ball of dirt spinning like it was supposed to. In a cryptically world-ending way, they weren't exactly wrong.

No one knew just what this new crystal was capable of, but humanity was in no position to question its fortunes.

So with hope that could only accompany the most fervent of desperation, the men of the Krallen Militia manned the walls of the _Damnatio Arx_, ready to face extinction with worn steel…and what seemed to be colorful rocks.

After all, time was up.

A monstrous wave of howling darkness descended upon the fortress in triumph, the end of humanity's brief existence seemingly drawing near. Victory for the Grimm was all but assured.

…what followed was something that many considered a display of wrath only known to gods.

A brief, blinding light burst forth from those stone walls with a brightness to rival a solar flare, casting the entire valley in a hellish backdrop of silvery light. Behind that light shattered forth a fury of energy that tore the very ground asunder in its unrelenting advance.

Entire hordes of Grimm vanished in the blink of an eye-vaporized by darting bolts of lightning, incinerated by fiery maelstroms, and frozen beneath wintery tundra. The soldiers of the walls stood awed at the power they had unleashed-an explosive torrent that had left the valley a mass of burnt craters, lined with veins of ice and scorched flesh.

From this battle, humanity earned not only its right to existence, but to a power of ultimate creation and decimation: Dust.

Hope alive, all night celebration, ale all around, quickies with tavern wenches, all that "beat the apocalypse" jazz.

By all accounts, it could have ended right there. Humanity could of risen above itself, could have learned from its brush with annihilation and looked to promote a future of peace and understanding that would create a unified world beyond our wildest dreams.

Could, could, could, all the "coulds" in the world and a shit load of optimism don't have the clout to write history, as much as we'd like to think so.

Because there is one thing that we have learned about power in our brief time on this planet, a memorandum humanity will never forget…

…power shall corrupt even the most honest of souls.

...

_Dust changed everything. It changed us, made us stronger…and weakened our morals. We had replaced one monster with another. One that is far more dangerous than any Grimm could hope to be…something far darker._

_Humanity was free, that was certain. But free to do what, that was the question. _

_Some chose to defend this hard-won freedom. Others, the pursuit of knowledge._

_And a remote few…chose to bend the world to their will._

_To take what they believed was rightfully theirs._

_To accept the darkness…_

_These are the ones we fight._

_Power begets Darkness, Light begets Life…_

…_and Fire begets Ash._

_We are the Soldiers of Ash._

_We shall not fear the Darkness._

_The Darkness shall fear us._

_..._

**A/N: Hey. Nice to see you got this far.**

**Wow, I gotta' admit, this took so much longer than I expected to finally get this damn thing on the site. Not the site's fault, mind you, just my own lack of timing.**

**This idea has been rattling around in my head for over a year now, and I'm happy that I finally got it out here for you guys and gals to look at.**

**...in all honesty, I'm a little nervous. This is my first story I've ever published online, and I've bashed this thing with every literary brick I could find for the last nine months in hopes of turning it into something cool enough for you people to enjoy.**

**That being said, I'm happy with how its turned out. **

**I plan on writing at my own pace, slow as that is, because it gives me time to make this story great, which is my only goal when it comes to making it.**

**It is in that vein of thought that compels me to ask you, the reader, for a VERY important service. This story relies heavily on not only the canon of RWBY and my own interpretations of it, but also on the thoughts and ideas of the fandom that it is a part of. I NEED to hear what you think about not just the story, but how I write it. If you think there's something I'm missing, something I'm omitting, or especially if I'm not writing this to the standard that you, the reader, hold it to, I want to know so I can fix it. Any and all input is not just accepted, it is DEMANDED.**

**I hope you enjoyed the beginning of my little trip into RWBY.**

**Because I gotta' tell ya'...I plan on having some real fun with this story.**

**And I hope you do to.**


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